Tourists take an elephant ride around Lak Lake tourist site - Photo: Courtesy of Saigontoruist About 50 kilometers from Buon Ma Thuot City in the central highland province of Daklak, Lak Lake is an ecotourism site with a special highlands flavor.

An elephant ride around Jun Village, a pleasant cruise by wooden boat round the lake, gong performance of ethnic people and amazing food and wine are some of the uniquely highland things you can enjoy there.

The lake, the largest artificial lake in Vietnam, links with Krong Ana River and is about five square kilometers. This great body of water, hemmed between low mountains, is home to many kinds of wading birds.

The Lak Resort is a good accommodation option. The only-resort on the site has 32 rooms designed in harmony with the natural surroundings, so guests can enjoy luxury and nature. Rooms are spacious with balconies overlooking the lake and Chu Yang Sin Mountain. Dawn and sunset present awesome views.

Bao Dai Villa 70 meters above the lake, is also a must-see in the Lak Lake complex. The villa was built in 1951 by the last king of Nguyen Dynasty, King Bao Dai, as a hunting retreat. The views take in the lake framed by rice fields, Voi Mountain, Chu yang Sin Mountain and villages of ethnic people.

The villa has six international standard rooms with lake views, of which the King’s suite is very large and well-designed.

Two restaurants at the villa serve Asian and Western food, together with local specialties such as com lam (rice cooked in bamboo tubes), grilled chicken with salt, chilly and lemon grass, and fried mountain pork.

A restaurant by the lake is an actual long house that serves local specialties.

At night, watch the gong performances and drink ruou can (wine drunk from a jar through bamboo pipes) to sense the spirit of the highlands.

Saigontourist Travel Service Company has many attractive tours to the highlands and Lak Lake.